[baddmammajamma]

Hi Mums of Preschoolers/Kinder-Aged Kids:

I have posted a related notes on the various kids & toddlers boards have shared the information below in various forms on EB. I am trying to raise awareness of the early warning signs of autism, especially since it can be so valuable for kids to get support and early intervention even before they start school. My inspiration for this cause is my now 7-year-old daughter, who has an autism spectrum disorder (ASD).

Like a lot of parents, autism wasn't something I thought had to be on my radar screen. What little I did know about autism was based on generalizations and misconceptions ("Kids who make eye contact can't have autism," for instance ). I had a lot of worries about DD's development -- nothing blazing but a lot of niggling concerns when I compared her to other kids in our circle of friends.

What I didn't realize at the time is that ASD comes in so many different forms. It's called a spectrum because the blend of symptoms, and the degree to which they affect a person, can vary quite dramatically. What people with ASD share are (varying degrees of): (1) difficulties in social interaction, (2) difficulties with communication, (3) restricted/repetitive interests and behaviors. Very often, they show some sensory sensitivities as well.

Looking back, we actually had plenty of early warning signs with our daughter even when she was very young. But at the same time I had these niggling concerns, I was surrounded by well meaning friends, family & even some medical professionals assuring me that she was just "quirky," "gifted," and "developing at her own speed." Nobody encouraged me to explore my concerns further, and to be honest, I was afraid to explore my concerns! Had it not been for two good friends who had the guts to encourage me to seek specialist support, we might still be struggling to make sense out of our daughter's behavior and quirks.

If you click on the link in my signature, you will understand why I am so passionate about raising awareness amongst my fellow parents.


ASD WARNING SIGNS
Very Early Flags: As I shared in the other thread, there are some very early warning signs for ASD that tend to show up by the time a child is two (or even earlier):

http://www.essentialbaby.com.au/forums/ind...howtopic=909129

Sometimes, it's still hard to catch ASDs in those very early years, and it's only when a kid gets to day care/preschool or primary school -- and is around other children constantly -- that the differences really become apparent.

Common Characteristics in Preschool Children With ASD

With some children, the red flags might not become entirely obvious until they reach preschool (or even school age), when suddenly the developmental gap between them and their peers becomes more pronounced. Some of the more common characteristics of ASD in preschoolers include (note: list is simply representative, not exhaustive. Also, a child with ASD may not display all of the signs on this list -- mine certainly didn't!):

* Unusual responses to other people. A child may show no desire to be cuddled, have a strong preference for familiar people and may appear to treat people as objects rather than a source of comfort.

* The child tends not to look directly at other people in a social way. This is sometimes referred to as a lack of eye contact.

* There may be constant crying or there may be an unusual absence of crying.

* The child often has marked repetitive movements, such as hand-shaking or flapping, prolonged rocking or spinning of objects.

* Many children develop an obsessive interest in certain toys or objects while ignoring other things.

* The child may have extreme resistance to change in routines and/or their environment.

* The child may appear to avoid social situations, preferring to be alone.

* There is limited development of play activities, particularly imaginative play.

* The child may have sleeping problems.

* Food problems. The child can be resistant to solid foods or may not accept a variety of foods in their diet.

* There may be an absence of speech, or unusual speech patterns such as repeating words and phrases (echolalia), failure to use 'I', 'me', and 'you', or reversal of these pronouns.

* There are often difficulties with toilet training.

* The child generally does not point to or share observations or experiences with others.

*The child may be extremely distressed by certain noises and/or busy public places such as shopping centers.


WHAT TO DO IF YOU HAVE CONCERNS
I am by no means an expert, but I have done a crash course (5 years running now) in ASD management via my daughter! I also have so many friends -- both in real life and from EB -- who are raising children with ASD. Not one of them has said "I wish I had waited to seek help when I first started having concerns." If anything, the universal feeling seems to be: If you have concerns, do something about them!

And from a practical perspective, so much of the meaningful support (e.g. federal and state funding for early intervention) is targeted at kids who haven't yet started school. Getting a warranted diagnosis before your child starts school could mean the difference between receiving thousands of dollars of early intervention support and not (it sucks that so much is age-tested, but that is the reality right now).

If you have concerns about your child's development, here are some practical things you can do:

* Start jotting down/track the traits and behaviors that concern you.

* At the same time, ask your GP or MCHN for a referral to a qualified professional who can probe these concerns further. A very good place to start is with a developmental paed, not a regular paed. A good developmental paed can help you determine whether your child is simply a late bloomer, a highly spirited/quirky/introverted kid, or a child with actual developmental issues (ASD or otherwise). Warning: waiting lists (public and private) for developmental paeds are notoriously long, yet another reason to act sooner rather than later!

* Empower yourself with information. There are some outstanding resources out there for ASD, including these two great web sites:

http://raisingchildren.net.au/children_wit...sm_landing.html

http://www.autismawareness.com.au/ (includes state-by-state directory of professionals who are well versed in ASD)

* Start exploring the options for getting support for your child's needs. It is a misnomer that you need an official diagnosis to start early intervention. For instance, if your child is struggling with speech, you can seek the support of a speech therapist whether or not your child has a diagnosis of ASD.

* Get support from others who understand what you are going through. There's no reason to feel alone. My friends on the Special Needs/Disabilities board are always helpful (offering advice, recommendations to good doctors/therapists, etc.) & sympathetic. If you don't want to share your concerns on a totally public forum, you should feel free to PM a member (including me).

Thank you for taking the time to read this!

BMJ

This post has been edited by baddmammajamma: 07/01/2013, 11:34 AM

[mamfa]

I just wanted to add that you no means need a Dx or even think its going to be a Dx to post questions to 'us' in the special needs area. If its a big deal to you then its a big deal to others arround wanting to help
I know i was very scared to venture into that area as i thought i was intruding but in reality. The parents in there are so supportive and happy to answer even the silliest questions from concerned parents.

Kristen, thats a great post and i wish someone had of posted that a few years ago when i was getting told "Its just a boy thing" But no. My DS needed help and i didn't know it.

Sam

[stefnie34]

* Start getting support for your child's needs. It is a misnomer that you need an official diagnosis to start early intervention. For instance, if your child is struggling with speech, you can seek the support of a speech therapist whether or not your child has a diagnosis of ASD.

My dd was finally diagnosed with PDD-NOS (an Austism Spectrum Disorder) last week, but she has been receiving Early Intervention for almost 3 years now. Our first concerns were before she was 18 months old. It scares me to think where she'd be today if we had decided to wait for a diagnosis before taking action.

I'm also happy to help, PM me any time if you have questions

Stephanie

[jackmac]

Hi , I am hoping you might be able to give me some advice.

I suspect that my friend's child may be ASD but I feel that the mother is not prepared to hear such an option at this stage. One of the teachers at her school did have her sent to a behavioural specialist but as far as I can gather the testing was very specific in relation to left and right sides of the brain and specific tests ensuring that information was moving between the two sides of the brain which she passed with a slightly below average score.

The tester did comment that she seemed "quirky" and had an eccentric personality but took it no further and the mother had taken offence that the teacher had requested the test saying that she simply thought that she had an eccentric personality. She went along with the testing to "humour" the teacher and now the result has come back the mother feels satisfied that there is nothing wrong apart from an unusual personality.

Some of her symptoms as I see them include a severe response to changes, she has a lot of difficulty fitting in at day care, she is very very intelligent but could not be moved into the next group because she was not toilet trained, last time I was there she screamed a lot (compared to other children I have seen, including my own child, concentrating on one task for an unusually long period of time. (the mother even commented that it doesn't matter how much she calls her she does not look up -"it's like she has aspergers" - no irony intended.

The problem is that we used to see them really often but they have recently moved to another state so now we speak much less and she seems reluctant to open the avenues of conversation in relation to this topic so I have just let it go but now I read on your post that it can make a huge difference to the funding they get so this could make a real difference.

I thought about sending her your article but I know that she would come back and say "why are you sending this to me", knowing the inference I was making, so do you think I should broach the topic or should I just let her find out in her own time when she is "ready" to accept the possibility. The other thing is that I could be wrong and may well be so if I suggest ASD and it turned out to be incorrect it could really affect our relationship. do I just stay out of it?

Sorry to ramble but it has been on my mind for over 6 months.

[baddmammajamma]

Jackmac:

That is such a tough situation, and from my experience in the ASD Mums' Community, there is no universal agreement on best approach. Some of us are relieved when trusted friends validate our concerns (this was my case), and others don't think that anyone who is not a qualified professional should be weighing in...and everything in between.

A few approaches you might try, depending on how willing you are to potentially (and hopefully only in the short term) "offend" your friend:

* Say nothing proactively, but IF she ever raises any concerns with you, jump on that entry point to encourage her to see a developmental paed. (See article below)


* Approach her directly and sensitively with your concerns. At the end of this post, I will share one of my favorite articles on how to share "Parent to Parent" concerns. It's from a U.S.-based web site called "First Signs," which is brilliant. http://www.firstsigns.org/


* Use a somewhat less obvious approach. This would include: posting something about ASD on your Facebook page (I'd be happy to befriend you & let you share our daughter's story/our experience with ASD), passing along an interesting article, say, about Asperger's & girls and saying "This reminds me of some of the quirks of [xxx]." Trouble with this approach is that many parents won't pick up on the subtle hints.

* Do nothing & hope that someone else says something. Ah...such a toughie. The thing that sucks is that if nobody says anything, and the child does actually have developmental issues (ASD or otherwise), it could take until hitting school age before they are formally detected.

Best of luck with whatever you decide. I appreciate how HARD it is to know how to be a good friend in this situation.

***

Sharing Concerns Parent to Parent

Many friends, relatives, or caregivers may have concerns about a child’s development, but are unsure of how to raise the issue with the parents. It is crucial to pursue any concerns, to ensure early and appropriate interventions; however, it can be difficult to do so.

http://www.firstsigns.org/concerns/parent_parent.htm

This post has been edited by lilymurray: 24/10/2010, 07:40 PM

Reason for edit: removed full article due to copyright. Please see link

[brazen]

hey kristen, i know you're not an expert but it's just occurred to me that 'restricted interests' could apply to rora after all. i kept thinking that she has no obsessions so it can't but tbh she has NO interests in particular at all. i guess that is pretty restricted right?

[seahorse67]

My DS is 4.5 and has ASD. I also have a NT DS 3yo so like to pop into this thread.

I would just like to reiterate that if you have any niggling feelings about your child's development, please just get it checked out. I would never want to leave anything to doubt. Because often the doubt just doesn't go away or it is replaced by guilt for not acting earlier. This is my personal opinion anyway.

Three years ago, I had no clue what ASD or Autism were, but I knew something just wasn't quite right. Early Intervention has brought us forward in leaps and bounds and it is usually enjoyable and fun anyway. And as Mamfa said you don't need a dx to get started.

Nobody wants to be told that their child is not "normal". But we were, like many other families on EB, and we just work towards a better future for our children in a world that is ever changing.

[mamakitten]

Thank you so much for this thread BMJ. Your post was full of good advice and very informative links.

Thank you again for sharing your experience and knowledge with EB

This post has been edited by mamakitten: 18/11/2010, 10:28 AM

[kh79]

Christmas is often the time that many parents gets to see their children socialize with others and maybe other children their age. For me it was one of these experiences that lead me to question my child's development. If you have any concerns, I urge you to get them checked out because I know in our case at least, early intervention is doing wonders:)

[baddmammajamma]

Bumping for Autism Awareness & Acceptance Month...and because somewhere on EB, there is a parent of a little pre-school aged child who is struggling, and the ASD is currently undetected & untreated.

If you click on the link in my signature, you will appreciate why I am so passionate about helping other parents recognize these common warning signs and encouraging any parent who has concerns about their child's development to practice "If in doubt, check it out."

Thanks for helping me reach as many parents as possible with this message.

This post has been edited by baddmammajamma: 22/04/2013, 01:03 PM